The World Stood Still
by onewing
Summary: Things were different before Takako, and Himeno is about to find out how different, after questioning Hayate's feelings towards her. Mostly manga timeline. AU Yaoi, HayateSasame, KeiShin, MannenHajime, GoOC: Slight change in story.
1. Prologue: Before the Change

Title: The World Stood Still

Rating: PG-13 (for later chapters)

Summery: Alternate Universe Before Takako, the boys had the world, and each other to themselves. Their Pretear was a strong woman, and the darkness was not much of a threat. But then things changed…

Pairings: Hayate/Sasame, Kei/Shin, Mannen/Hajime, and a light romance between Go/OC

Warnings: This is a yaoi fic, for those that don't know, it means there will be romantic relationships between two male characters throughout this story. Nothing hard core though. I, like any other yaoi writer, do not want to hear you complain about how wrong it is, because you shouldn't be reading this after being warned if you don't like it.

Also, this is going to be a mix of anime, manga, and a few of my own ideas. I am using Kei's design from the manga, but otherwise the other characters look as they did from the anime. The characters will be slightly OOC.

Oh, heh, I also have an obsession over Sasame's hair, so forgive me ahead of time for mentioning it so often. :p

Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear, or any of the guys, no matter how much I want to. **Pouts** They belong to Kaori Naruse and Junichi Satou. I do own Avalon, the current Pretear, and possibly the plot, but that's about it.

Notes: This is my first Pretear fic, though, not my first fic. I will appreciate any comments, as well as well worded criticism, I wish improve, so telling me what seems wrong helps.:) Flames will be laughed at, and deleted. This is a test run, so to speak. If it's liked, well, then I will be happy to continue. :)

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He awoke slowly to the sound of birds singing outside his window. Blinking in the bright sunlight, heyawned and turned over in his lover's arms. Bright blue eyes met his as he came face to face with the other.

"Good morning," his lover murmured, lifting a hand to gently smooth aside a silver lock from his eyes.

He merely smiled, before leaning close to kiss those inviting lips in a chaste kiss, which was received, and responded to. His dark haired lover laughed softly as they pulled away a little.

"I take it you slept well, Sasame," he said tenderly.

"I always sleep well with you, Hayate," Sasame said softly, snuggling a little closer so his head rested against Hayate's chest.

"Hmmm, what little sleep you get, you mean," the knight of wind smirked.

Sasame chuckled against his chest, "Indeed," he agreed.

They lay there in silence for a little while, just basking in the sunlight and each other's presence. It wasn't often that things would be so peaceful for them, usually they were training or awaiting for yet another battle to come. Yet, that day, nothing seemed to be coming to disrupt them, and Hayate was feeling unusually lazy for once, which probably spurred on his next comment.

"Let's stay in bed today," he sighed softly, nuzzling his face into those soft silver locks.

The knight of sound tensed ever so slightly, before poking him, elictating a tiny yelp from the darker of the two, "Ow, what was that for? Do you want to train today?" Hayate asked.

"No, it's just unlike you. Usually you demand that we all get up and train till at least noon," those dark violet eyes raised to meet his.

"Perhaps, but today I think we all need a rest, " it was true, they had nearly been battling non-stop for months now. The wear was getting to all of them, especially to him, since he was their leader. No one knew that better then his best friend and lover.

Sasame said nothing to that, merely buried his face again against him. Hayate smiled, glad for the silent comfort as he drew his arms tighter around the slight frame. Silence reigned once again…

Only to shatter at one word that seemed to rock the very bed they lay in, "Idoit!"

Hayate muttered in annoyance as he began to shift, intending to get out of bed to see what was the matter when Sasame moved, putting a bit more of his weight on his lover, effectively pinning him down.

"Its just Go and Mannen again. Let Hajime take care of it," the silver haired man said softly, not raising his head.

Hayate relented, relaxing again into just enjoying the feel of his lover in his arms, only to tense yet again at, "Who are you calling an idiot!"

Even if the pitch was a bit higher then normal; Hayate knew it to be Mannen, and he was silently cursing the Knight of Freezing at the moment. He didn't want to have to deal with this today.

Suddenly he was left with an empty feeling in his arms, and he turned his attentions back to Sasame, who had slipped out of bed nearly without him noticing. Those dark eyes he loved so much twinkled ever so slightly with amusement in the dawn light, and pale lips lifted into a faint smile, "I'll take care of it."

He was gone before Hayate could protest, and the angry shouting that disturbed them suddenly ceased. Silently, he marveled at his fellow knight's ability to handle such small disputes so quickly, but then, Sasame was the Knight of Sound. Almost anything dealing with sound was something Sasame could control.

The door to their room creaked open again, but instead of the silver haired head he expected, it was instead the long golden haired one of the Knight of Plants.

"Forgive me, Hayate," a kindly smile lighted over the youthful features as Shin half way entered, "I do not mean to disturb you, but Kei was wondering if we will be training today, and Avalon has stopped by."

At the mention of their Pretear, Hayate sat up, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine. Don't look so worried," another fleeting smile, "She merely wished to visit, there has been no further attacks, so far."

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, Hayate let himself relax a little, "That's good. You can tell her I'll be out in a little while to see her. And you can tell Kei that you two have the day together."

The barest blush fluttered over those lightly tanned cheeks, "Thank you, Hayate," Shin said, near grinning as he slipped out, shutting the door behind him.

Deciding it would probably be better to get up, Hayate finally managed to get himself out of bed, and headed for the small dresser in the room. The door opened behind him yet again, but the soft footsteps he heard behind him let him know who it was without him having to turn around. Strong arms circled around his waist as a soft haired head leaned against his back.

"Sorry, it took a little longer then I had planned. Seemingly Mannen didn't like being woken up like that," Sasame chuckled ever so slightly.

"How did Go get him this time?" Hayate asked, placing a hand over his lover's clasped ones.

"Well, as Mannen says, he was calmly sleeping with Hajime when Go picked him up and dunked him into a bucket of warm water. He says Go said that since he loved water so much, he should get better acquainted with its liquid state, rather then its Knight," again, the light chuckling.

Go was the youngest knight of them all. Having been reborn only fifteen years ago, the young Knight of Heat had the tendency to pick on one of the older knights, namely Mannen, since even at such a young age, he was taller then the Knight of Freezing. At first, Hayate had assumed that Go had a crush on Hajime, and was therefore jealous of Hajime's lover, Mannen. But Sasame had slashed those thoughts by telling him later that he had overheard the often-brash knight shyly confessing his love and devotion to their young Pretear. So both older knights had deemed that it was merely because Mannen had picked on Go in the previous life, therefore Go was picking on Mannen in this life.

Letting out a soft laugh of his own, he leaned back into those wonderful arms; "I still just want to lay in bed with you today."

"Then let's do it. Avalon won't miss us, she's here to see Go anyways," Sasame said, gently tugging his lover backwards towards their bed.

Hayate let himself be dragged back, a playful smile on his lips, though he knew the other couldn't see it, "Well, in that case. Perhaps we should do more then just lie around," his tone was teasingly wicked.

"Oh, now that is far more like the Hayate I know," Sasame purred in his ear, and his playful smile turned into a smirk as he turned to devour those smiling lips….


	2. Chapter 1: Discovery

Notes: Sorry this has taken so long to update. I have no excuse for the delay, except that the story line changed on me. I only recently got a new idea of where to go, and I decided to stay mostly within the manga time line. Meaning Takako didn't return. This also starts up again, many years after the events in the prologue, during Himeno's time.

Thanks so much for all the kind reviews. I hope you all enjoy this. :)

* * *

_Years later..._

Some part of him expected it, when the door opened. He had been expecting it forawhile, since the events with the Princess of Disaster had finished. It was almost surprising to find that she held out for so long, that she had tried to ignore those lingering glances in the opposite direction, or the reluctance the Knight of Wind had to further things.

But he knew she had noticed them. Himeno wasn't stupid, despite her graceless acts and sometimes mindless gestures. The only reason she had left it alone for so long, he suspected, was because she really did love Hayate.

The girl in question entered, a half smile on her lips, "Hey, Kei."

Turning his full gaze to her, he gestured over to a seat in his small, plain cubicle, "Himeno, what are you doing here?"

Reddish-brown eyes looked to the ground, as Himeno sat upon the offered chair. Shifting a little uncomfortably, it was a few moments before she responded, "I don't want to disturb you, but...I need to ask you something."

He decided not let on that he had a feeling what she wanted to ask, "It can't be on something technical. Why ask me and not Sasame?"

Another shift, she clasped her hands in her lap, "Because I had a feeling only you could tell me. And Sasame would only try to ease my feelings. I want the truth," she looked up to him, eyes sad, but clear.

His hands left the keyboard, and he turned his chair to face her, "It has something to do with Hayate, doesn't it?"

Nodding, she sighed, "I know he cares about me, and loves me in his own way. But...I can tell he doesn't love me the way I do him. And I know he didn't love Takako, though he cared about her as well. It's probably not my business..."

"No," he interrupted her, "It is. You have the right to know why Hayate can't return your feelings completely. Though, he does love you, Himeno. It's just that another owns his heart, and has for a long time."

There was no surprise in her, though, she stiffened a little to hear the truth, and she looked to the ground again. Her own words shocked him, "It's Sasame, isn't it?"

Blinking, he tried to process how she could have caught that, while she explained, "I just noticed it, in some of his gestures, in the looks in his eyes. Like when Sasame was sick, he had such a look of longing, of pain that told me he cared more about him then just as a friend. I tried to tell myself that it was just because they're like brothers, but I couldn't fool myself forever. He's always been so protective of him, almost as if he were terrified of something happening, though he tries to hide that feeling from everyone."

The sound of misery in her voice twisted his heart, but he didn't know how to comfort her. Human emotions were something Sasame worked with, Kei was more suited to figuring strategy, advantages, and personalities.

"You're right, he is afraid. He's afraid of losing him again, though, Sasame doesn't know. He has no idea what Hayate feels for him, and if Hayate can help it, he never will, because he doesn't want him to know," he sighed.

She was looking at him again, eyes still sorrowful, but interested now, and her sadness was not all just for her predicament with the Knight of Wind, but for his own agony. That was one thing that made her one of the strongest Pretears he had ever had the privilege of serving. She could push her feelings aside for others, even when they were causing her pain.

She deserved the truth, yet again.

"You see, Sasame died in the battle before Takako. It was brutal, the Princess of Disaster then was horribly powerful. Even with the Pretear on our side, we barely won. That last battle..." he tried to shut the memories out of his mind. The darker times had been with Takako, yet the older memories tended to hurt almost as much, "After, Sasame was of course brought back, but sometimes when we are, our memories are not. That seemed to be the case with him. Avalon, our Pretear, gave him back to us in body, but he had to start again in mind."

He could see the question in her eyes, the same he had asked Hayate once before himself. Why? If Sasame was back, why didn't they start again?

"Because Hayate blamed himself. Sasame took that blow for him, and he felt he didn't have a right to have his love anymore. It almost killed him to lose him, and he didn't want it to happen again. So, he refused to tell Sasame what they had before, and kept him as a best friend instead, burying his feelings inside. "

Himeno's eyes widened, "But that's horrible. No wonder..." she paused, biting her lip, "No wonder he seems so distant. He's afraid to love anyone, isn't he?"

He nodded a little, but said nothing on it, "I suppose you have your answer now."

Silence came, and her head bowed again. He eventually turned back to his work, tapping away at the code he had been writing, unsure of how to go on. Finally, her voice interrupted him, "Could you...tell me their story? I want to help Hayate. I can't imagine suffering that long without the person I love."

He glanced at her, again surprised, "I don't know if you can help him..."

"I know," she gave a shaky smile, "But I want to try. He deserves to be happy again."

Studying her for a few moments, he made his decision, and his respect for her grew. Perhaps she was the greatest Pretear he had ever worked with, to love so selflessly as she did.

"Alright, I'll give you a little of their story. Perhaps you have a chance to fix things," he said finally.


	3. Chapter 2: Begin

Thank you to all the reviewers. I know its been an insanely long time since I've done anything with this story, but hopefully it won't be that long the next time. This is an attempt to break through the massive writer's block I've had on this, so I would ask for forgiveness for the roughness of it. Thank you again for your wonderful words. :) Not so much Hayate/Sasame in this chapter, there will be in the next.

* * *

There was no beginning, they had merely always been. It was impossible to imagine them apart. It was supposed that the relationship had carried from life to life, every time they had been reborn, it had been the same. Though, it had been sometime since they had been reborn, nearly a hundred years. Go had been the only one, merely because he had chosen to age with the last Pretear, to keep her company for the rest of her days, and had stayed to her death.

That was when the new Princess of Disaster had arisen, like always. The Darkness always returned after a Pretear's death, it was an unavoidable cycle. That was why they existed to begin with.

Of course, they had started seeking out the new Pretear quickly, Hayate leading the way, though Sasame had found her.

Avalon had been strong, though terribly young at thirteen. It wasn't the first time, they just strove to protect her a bit more, guarding her as they sought out the Princess and her minions.

The fights had been brutal, but not the worse. Hayate had of course driven them into the ground a few times with their training, but for the most part, things were peaceful. None of them had any idea that the Princess had just been saving her energy for that final attack...

* * *

The sunlight had been warm, as he laid there, trailing his fingers through his lover's hair, enjoying the silk that glided through his touch, the same color as the Light he himself guarded.

Shin sleepily moved beside him, curling closer, head tucked against his abdomen, basking in the warmth, while his hand held fast to Kei's free one.

It was so rare that they had days off, between the fighting, and more often the training afflicted upon them. But what time they had, they spent together, enjoying each other's company, keeping their relationship strong.

"I think Sasame has finally gotten Hayate to relax," Shin commented softly, breath tickling his slightly exposed skin, where his shirt had ridden up.

Kei laughed, from more then just that sensation, "More likely Hayate just randomly decided it. Sasame likes being abused, I think."

Half heartedly swatting at his arm where it was buried into his hair, a slight twitch came to Shin's lips, "You know that's not true, Kei."

"Is it not? He's the only one that never complains," Kei offered, "And he reaps the most benefit from it."

A bright flush touched Shin's fair cheeks, "I would think you were rewarded too."

Noting the blush, Kei tugged his lover up to kiss him briefly, "I am, considering I get to relax with you and your wonderful healing hands."

That red tint grew brighter, if that was possible, "Kei..."

There was a sound of running feet then, before Go was next to them, out of breath, foretelling he had run the entire way from home, which was a good hour's walk away, since they had decided to go to their 'private spot' to enjoy the day.

Shin sat up, allowing Kei to do the same. The Knight of Light frowned, taking in the frazzled look of the youngest of them, "What is it, Go?"

"An attack. Avalon sensed it, the others have already gone, I was sent to get you," that brought them to their feet in an instant.

"We better get going. Can you lead us to where they are?" Kei asked Shin, who could feel the earth, and would be able to pinpoint where the life was draining away. He himself was blind to it, Light didn't reach everywhere, and the Darkness was hard to spot at times.

A silent nod, and Shin focused for a moment, eyes going vacant as his element swirled about him, invisible to all but their trained senses. He then looked to Kei, agony written faintly across his face for the loss of Life, and reached to take his lover's hand, as well as Go's, to lead them there.

When they arrived, the battle was already ongoing, the Sound Pretear battling hard against the newest monster, while the other Knights swarmed around her, keeping themselves close enough to defend if necessary, while also aiding in the attack. Hayate's winds cut into it, Mannen's ice slowed it, Hajime's water aided the ice, while sound arrows rained down upon the roaring beast.

Shin swiftly erected the barrier, to prevent further damage, while Kei drove in with Go, fire and light combining into a shattering attack against the demonic's shield. There was a howl of pain from the beast, before it swept out a limb lightening fast.

Avalon had been setting up her final arrow, having seen the monster's weak spot, when it had happened. She didn't have the time to get out of the way, but even then, Sasame was there to protect her,

Hayate put himself between them, the creature's barbed appendage digging into him as it smashed him into the Pretear, sending them both flying, nearly landing on top of each other.

Kei was sure he had heard Sasame crying out for Hayate, but didn't have time to focus, moving to defend the down fighters, light lancing out to cut through the limb that had been swinging down for another attack.

Shin was already hurrying to them, ready to heal as he could, while keeping control of the barrier. Hayate waved him off, standing, blood staining his clothes a bit as he did. The Pretear stood after him, looking a little bruised, but unharmed.

Wide blue eyes looked fearfully at him, while gentle fingers tried to reach to him, only for the Knight of Wind to avoid it, "Avalon, you must take care of it. Sasame, help her finish it. Worry about me later."

"But, Hayate..." the Pretear paused, listening within to the Knight she was pretting with. Those blue eyes darkened, in understanding, though it was grudging, "Let Shin help at least."

"After the battle," the Knight brushed off, swiftly rising into the air, wind strikes coming from him once more.

_He's so stubborn,_ was the quiet sigh from within, echoing through the sounds in the air, before the Pretear followed, once more finding the spot, and aiming to finish things quickly.

* * *

"What was that about?" there were few times when Sasame raised his voice, very few, and this was one of those.

Quietly, Kei reflected on how it was always Hayate that managed to get such a rise from the normally calm, and gentle knight, while he sipped at the warm herb tea Shin had mixed for all of them.

There was the sharp sound of boots being slipped off behind the bedroom door, hitting the floor with mild thuds, "What was what?"

Avalon had healed the damage after battle, as she always did, pretting with Shin to fix things. Hayate had a new scar to add to the many of hundreds he had gained in their long lives. And despite acting dense, Kei knew well that Hayate knew what Sasame was upset about.

"You know what. I could have protected her, you should have stayed focused on the battle." Sasame rebuffed, tone lowering only a little.

"I was focused. I merely decided to make sure she was safe," was the return, starting to harden.

Shin grimaced a little beside him, leaning close so their shoulders touched, while Mannen glanced to the door, "Sounds like it's going to be a fight."

"You shouldn't sound so eager," Hajime commented, glancing to his lover briefly, before sipping at his own warm drink.

"I'm not," the Knight of Ice defended, "I am merely pointing it out."

"He's right," Kei said casually, as if uninterested, "Hayate only begins to sound like that with Sasame when they're about to fight. Might I suggest that we consider asking our lovely Pretear for a chance to spend the night in her room?"

Because during the very rare times when Hayate and Sasame fought, their fights were usually loud, and the make up after was often louder.

"You doubt I can protect her?" Sasame's voice thundered through.

Shin stood quietly, "Perhaps I should..." He had always been a peace maker, only second to Sasame, with his gentle, loving ways. He didn't have the Knight of Sound's empathy, but his sensitivity to emotions helped.

Kei grasped his arm lightly, guiding him back down, "Leave them be, they'll work it out."

Shin looked a bit uneasy, and winced as they all heard something crash in the bedroom beyond, as well as Hayate muttering something unable to be heard.

"Really," Kei shifted his grip to his hand, holding tight, "They always do. I know it doesn't seem like it, but logically, they can't separate for long."

As if to prove his point, there was a sudden silence from the bedroom, as seemingly Hayate's mutterings had meant something to Sasame, even if they hadn't to the others.

"You should know better, I would have been fine," they almost didn't catch that, though the tenderness in Sasame's voice was unmistakable.

Silence fell again, as the other Knights looked at each other, "That was short," Mannen commented, only for Hajime to shake his head at him.

"I suggest we take our leave then," finishing the last of his tea, Kei stood, "Should give them some privacy."

A snort for Mannen, "Send Go to Avalon's, Hajime and I will find our own place."

A glance to Shin, and Kei had to agree, that would be a nice prospect, and the night was warm outside... Their place was sheltered.

Seeing the approval, the Knight of Ice smirked, "Meet back here in the morning before Hayate realizes?"

"You mean before he starts yelling about where his troops are," Hajime put in, just a hint of wickedness sparking in his eyes.

Mannen chuckled, kissing his lover's cheek, "Exactly."


End file.
